Camaraderie
by matchbookjealousy
Summary: Rachel is so excited today.  If you'd told her two weeks ago that she would be working in total cooperation with almost twenty other performers and she wouldn't be getting a solo to do it, she wouldn't have believed you.  And yet, here she is!


**featured song is "Beverly Hills" by Weezer**

**i was sick of drama and felt like writing something light and fun.**

**this is unbeta'ed so any mistakes (and i'm sure there are some) are totally mine.**

**as always, reviews are always appreciated! **

**happy reading! ^^  
**

**~matchbook  
**

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Rachel is so excited today. If you'd told her two weeks ago that she would be working in total cooperation with almost twenty other performers and she _wouldn't_ be getting a solo to do it, she wouldn't have believed you. And yet, here she is!

~ ~ A week earlier: ~ ~

"Okay everybody, until Regionals, I want us all to focus our selections on team bonding and camaraderie! I want you to put aside your differences and problems and work together as a team," Mr. Schuester announced as he walked into the choir room. When said announcement was not met with anywhere near as much enthusiasm as he had hoped, he decided to take a different approach. "How about we find some common ground first. What do you all have in common? Everyone in this room, what do you guys all have in common?"

"We're all in this room," Brittany suggested seriously. The comment was met with a scattering of smirks and giggles.

"Well we're all in glee, so we all like music," Tina suggested next, getting a collection of nods and affirmations.

"That's good. What else? Anything other than just music?" Mr. Schue prompted.

"Except for me- because I'm a bad ass, we're all super lame," Puck said, smirking. The group laughed and, for the most part, joking agreed.

"And we all spend way too much time studying for the ACT!" Sam suggested next, getting everyone to laugh more.

"And we can't wait to get to Nationals!" Rachel cheered, earning some more laughter and cheers.

"We can't wait for Spring Break," Finn groans, making everyone laugh.

"Yah, I can't wait to go on vacation. I'm going to San Diego to visit my cousins. I'm so excited! Ohio sucks. _Actual_ spring doesn't get here 'til summer," Tina added, earning a bunch of nods and more laughing.

"Well, I guess we have _that_ in common too, don't we? Remember what Bryan Ryan asked us last year?" Mercedes agreed. Turning to Santana and Brittany, she asked, "What do you guys want to do with your lives? I know Rachel, Tina, Kurt and I all want to perform. What do you guys want to do?"

Mr. Schue watched the group intently. He was smiling brightly now, excited to see them all working together.

"Be professionally _bad ass_!" Puck offered with a smirk, earning him some laughs and a high-five from Mike.

"I've always thought working in film would be really cool," Artie added.

"I don't know. Something somewhere not in Lima, Ohio!" Quinn suggested seriously, earning nods and agreement from the rest of the group.

"Yah, other than the Cheerios- and _us_, of course, there's really not much here except for our families," Tina added in agreement.

"Yah, all of the famous people live in big cities, in New York, or LA, or Chicago, or Detroit even. Nothing happens here," Santana groaned.

"I guess we have _that_ in common, then. But what does _that_ have to do with team bonding?" Rachel asked, looking to Mr. Schuester.

"Don't look at me!" Mr. Schue said, laughing. "This is your assignment!"

"Hey Quinn, can I use your computer real quick?" Finn asked, standing up from his seat on the risers.

"Have an idea, Finn?" Mr. Schue asked, as Quinn pulled her laptop out of her book bag.

"Yah, but we might need a little help to pull it off," Finn explained, taking Quinn's laptop from her and resting it on the chair next to him, where everyone would be able to see it.

After a minute or two, Finn was ready to present his idea to the group.

"Just show us already, Hudson!" Santana snapped urgently.

Finn turned the screen toward the group and pressed play. Only a few seconds into the song, they knew he'd found the one.

Finn then explained to the group that he'd been talking with Kurt over the weekend about how great it would be if they combined the Warblers and New Directions, because of their different talents. New Directions could teach the Warblers some dance moves, and the Warblers could help create a cappella arrangements for New Directions.

So, thirty minutes, a large amount of costume brainstorming by Mercedes and Tina, a large amount of choreography brainstorming by Mike, Brittany, Quinn, and Santana, and three separate telephone calls between Finn and Kurt later, it had been decided that the two groups would find a way to perform together.

Rehearsals started the next day. The entire group listened to the song a few times, taking notes about who could sing each section, potential choreography ideas, and the harmonic arrangement being created. Mr. Schue acted as the official note-taker and peace-keeper, instructing members of both groups to raise their hands and be called on before giving a suggestion.

It was decided that the Warblers who usually dealt with the music for their group, would work with Rachel, Mercedes, Tina, Puck, and Finn to create the a cappella arrangement for the song.

Kurt, Mercedes, and Tina worked together to come up with a general theme for their costumes.

Mike and Brittany, with help from Santana and Quinn, taught the Warblers a few short dance routines. The dances weren't very long, but overall, the process reminded Mr. Schue of the time when Kurt had taught the entire McKinley High football team the "Single Ladies" dance.

Artie and Sam, with some help from Puck and Mr. Schue, worked to get the guitar sections down so the two of them could play live.

After a full seven days of hard work, the entire group (with around 30 people in total) was ready to perform. In their planning, Mr. Schue had gotten permission for the group to perform during McKinley High's annual Spring Sports assembly.

And it's not just Rachel, the entire group is buzzing with excitement. With their assigned costumes hidden away in their lockers, the New Directions members can barely pay attention in their classes.

Just over a half-hour before the assembly, an announcement over the P.A. system dismisses "those students involved in this afternoon's assembly", and the glee kids happily go to get ready. They all head down to the Field House bathrooms, where they know even the sports teams won't be changing right now. The theme Mercedes, Kurt, and Tina chose (and then got approved by Mr. Schue) was 'opposite styles'; each member would wear a style of clothing that they didn't usually wear.

A few minutes later, they all emerge, waiting to see what everyone else has got on. It's almost like culture shock, seeing everyone in such uncharacteristic clothing. Rachel, Kurt and Quinn are wearing clothing similar to what they wore for their performance of "Give Up the Funk"; Finn, Mike and Puck are wearing dress pants, nice white button-down shirts and black ties; Mercedes and Tina are dressed in dresses similar to the ones they wore to the Regionals competition sophomore year; Artie and Sam are both dressed in jeans, flannel button-down shirts over white tees, and Converse sneakers; and Santana and Brittany are dressed in knee-length floral print sundresses, with leggings underneath. The Warbler boys are wearing things similar to what Sam and Artie wearing, except for the seniors, who are wearing their Dalton Academy pants, shoes, shirts, and ties.

Once they've convened in the large Field House, the large group runs through their choreography again, just to make sure they have it down, warms up their voices so they can, as Rachel puts it, "wow" the audience, practice their designated parts, and try to calm any lingering nerves. Mr. Schuester and the Warblers' chaperone, Mr. Baker remind them all of smile and have fun, as they leaves to go sit in the gym with the rest of the school.

With only around thirty seconds left, the entire group makes their way onto the stage in the gymnasium. They can hear Principal Figgins' voice as he speaks to the crowd.

"Before Christmas break, our very own glee club, New Directions tied for first place at their Sectional competition. And, to promote cooperation and peaceful competition, their fellow first-place winners, the Dalton Academy Warblers, are here to perform with them for you," Figgins explains. "So, without further ado, here they are!"

The lights go down in the gym, the lights go up on stage, and the curtains open to reveal the large group of performers.

The Warbler boys are stomping their feet and clapping their hands to replace the drums that would normally be making the beat, and Artie and Sam start playing their electric guitars.

Dressed in their uncharacteristic costumes in the front of the group, a few of the Dalton boys, Tina, Quinn, Puck, and Blaine all start the first verse of the song.

_Where I come from isn't all that great  
My automobile is a piece of crap  
My fashion sense is a little whack  
And my friends are just as screwy as me_

Pushing Puck out of the way, Kurt leads Wes, Finn, Santana, and a few more of the Dalton boys in the second verse.

_I didn't go to boarding schools  
Preppy girls never looked at me  
Why should they, I ain't nobody  
Got nothing in my pocket_

The audience is clapping along now. Mr. Schue, Coach Beiste, Ms. Pilsbury, and Mr. Baker laugh loudly watching the kids perform their new personas flawlessly. The entire group, led by Finn, Puck, Sam, Artie, and some of the strong Warbler boys, who sing the melody, move onto the chorus.

_Beverly Hills... _

_That's where I want to be! (gimme, gimme)  
Living in Beverly Hills...  
Beverly Hills... _

_Rolling like a celebrity! (gimme, gimme)  
Living in Beverly Hills..._

Mercedes, Finn, Brittany, and some Warblers take the next verse. The rest of the performers are singing, keeping the beat with their hands and feet. A few Dalton boys, along with Brittany, Mike, Santana, and Quinn, are performing one their choreographed danced numbers on the left side of the stage. By now, a lot of students in the audience have stood up, so allow for more movement and random dancing.

_Look at all those movie stars  
They're all so beautiful and clean  
When the housemaids scrub the floors  
They get the spaces in between_

The next verse is given exclusively to Dalton boys. Around them, everyone is dancing another one of their choreographed dance numbers, and behind them, half of each harmonic section has formed a tight group to keep the acappella arrangement alive, and others are helping to keep the heavy beat heard above the performers.

_I wanna live a life like that  
I wanna be just like a king  
Take my picture by the pool  
Cause I'm the next big thing_

The group returns to their previous musical arrangement for the chorus to be sung again. While singing, they rearrange themselves on stage, so the next group of singers can go next.

_Beverly Hills... _

_That's where I want to be! (gimme, gimme – gimme, gimme)  
Living in Beverly Hills...  
Beverly Hills... _

_Rolling like a celebrity! (gimme, gimme – gimme, gimme)  
Living in Beverly Hills..._

Artie and Sam are pushed to the front of the pseudo-mob, and play their guitar duet flawlessly. Mike and Brittany dances free-style next to them as they plays.

The Dalton boys perform the next part of the song, speaking their lines perfectly, as the rest of the group harmonizes quietly around them.

_Truth is...I don't stand a chance (aaaaaaaaaaaaaah)  
It's something that you're born into... (aaaaaaaaaaah)  
And I just don't belong... (aaaaaaaaaaah)_

The strong New Directions and Warblers singers perform the next verse, as the strong dancers perform on either side of them.

_No I don't - I'm just a no class, beat down fool  
And I will always be that way  
I might as well enjoy my life  
And watch the stars play_

Mr. Schue is almost in awe of the performers on stage; their dances are all awesome, and the a cappella vocal arrangement is definitely not lost among all of the other noises on stage and in the room. Everyone, prompted by Rachel, who bumps her fist once to her chest to her chest and throws out a peace sign toward the crowd, start in on the chorus again.

_Beverly Hills... _

_That's where I want to be! (gimme, gimme – gimme, gimme)  
Living in Beverly Hills...  
Beverly Hills... _

_Rolling like a celebrity! (gimme, gimme – gimme, gimme)  
Living in Beverly Hills..._

The singers, split up into their little harmonic sections, take up the back half of the stage. Sam and Artie are in the center, in front of them, playing with as much energy and enthusiasm as they can, and the dancers are performing their last mini-number on either side of them. The entire audience is on their feet, singing and clapping along with the last verse.

_Beverly Hills, Beverly Hills (yeah)  
Beverly Hills, Beverly Hills (hey baby – hey baby)  
Beverly Hills, Beverly Hills Beverly Hills, _

_Livin' in Beverly Hills!_

The song ends with the entire group of performers striking some kind of character (and school)-appropriate pose on _"Hills"_.

Breaking from their poses, the performers arrange themselves into rows so they can bow. The audience bursts into applause as first the Warblers, then New Directions bows. Figgins and Mr. Schue exchange a look, the former giving a nod of approval.

That evening, while looking through the New Directions facebook group photo album, Rachel is still filled with her earlier feelings of happiness and elation. She makes a note to _try _to remember this feeling whenever she gets angry about not getting a solo. She knows she can be bossy, abrasive, overly-critical, and sometimes blindingly self-centered, but she hopes that over time she will lose these negative traits (or that they will at least not be as prevalent as they are now) so she won't push people away as she has in the past. As she looks through all the pictures of her with her teammates, Rachel truly hopes that she will be able to stay friends with these people forever, because, no matter how self-centered she is, she will always have more fun with them than she would ever have all by herself.

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**as always, reviews are always appreciated! ^^**


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